Plasma seed activation treatment and its applications emerged first in Russia. The State Institute of Physics of Russia pioneered to develop plasma seed treatment device for treatment of vegetable seeds, to improve sprouting and to increase yield. In USA and Canada etc., researches on sterilization of crop seeds with plasma were made, so as to inhibit the occurrence of crop diseases and pests. In Ukraine, Israel, Korea, and Japan, researches on plasma treatment for seeds and relevant applications have being started also. In China, the Institute of Dryland Farming, Shanxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences has made researches on plasma seed treatment technology since 1997, and has proved the yield increasing effect and application prospects of seed activation by plasma treatment. Subsequently, Jilin Academy of Agricultural Sciences and some other research institutions made researches on the biological effects and agricultural effects of plasma treatment of various kinds of seeds successively. The test results have demonstrated that the plasma seed activation treatment has a remarkable stimulation effect to the germination, sprouting and growth of various kinds of crop plants, the germination ratio and germination potential can be increased by 5-18%, the root system can be highly developed, the incidences of disease can be reduced, the drought resistance ability can be enhanced, and the yield can be increased by 10-40% among food crops and 15-50% among vegetables.
In year 2002, a up-right type electromagnetic field plasma treatment machine was disclosed in invention patent application CN1383710A and utility model patent application CN2473865Y, wherein, a glass tube filled with mercury vapor was used as a plasma generator, and then is connected to an electro-magnetization chamber. In invention patent application CN1373983A, a method for processing different kinds of crop seeds with the processor disclosed in utility model patent application CN2473865Y was disclosed, including parameters such as treating dose, number of treatment, and appropriate seeding time, etc. In CN1363206A, a lying type plasma seed treatment machine and a treatment method were disclosed, wherein, inductive discharge and capacitive discharge were utilized, in conjunction with appropriate degree of vacuum, to generate plasma, and seeds were activated under a combined effects of low pressure, electric field, magnetic field, ions, electrons, and glow. In year 2004, in CN1500380A, a stationary chamber plasma seed treatment apparatus was disclosed, which employs high voltage discharge needles to produce sharp point discharge, so as to ionize a gas and generate plasma.
In year 2005, we found that cold plasma can interact with the bio-macromolecules of plant seeds and cause energy transition of the bio-macromolecule, i.e., transition from ground state to excited state, and thereby boost the plant seeds to create positive biological effects. The effects were embodied at significantly enhanced physiological activity and expression of potential resistance genes, the vitality and resistance performance of the crop plants were improved. Based on that finding, we invented a lying type “Cold Plasma Seed Treatment Instrument” (invention patent application CN1914972A) and a “Plasma Crop Seed Activation Treatment Apparatus” (utility model patent application CN2807733Y), wherein, a strong glow discharge area was created between two pole plates connected via radio frequency output wires to a radio frequency power source, and glow discharge between the pole plates and the inner wall of the chamber is inhibited through a metal shielding enclosure disposed around the pole plates, as a result, the seed treatment efficiency was greatly improved. In year 2010, a method for plant seeds treatment using plasma and an apparatus thereof were disclosed in invention patent application CN10166 9416A, wherein, cold plasma was generated by dielectric barrier discharge under atmospheric pressure in the air instead of a vacuum environment. A drawback in the invention patents and utility model patents described above is that the seed treatment efficiency is too low to treat seeds in a large quantity. Therefore, it is necessary to create a large-size cold plasma apparatus to meet the demand for mass production of food crops.